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Sunday morning walk – Finnish Gas Mask Bag – First Aid Kit – StarShipSofa

15 February 2015 / Lincolnshire, Outdoor Gear, Photography, Walking / Branston, iPhone photography, Lincolnshire, outdoor gear, photography, tea, walking

New kit today – Finnish gas mask bag.

I got out this morning for a short walk around the village, just as the early morning mist was lifting. The day was much warmer than I expected so the heavy coat I had on was too much. I had saved this week’s episode of StarShipSofa to listen too whilst on this walk. There was interesting short story in this week’s show a mix of Philip Marlowe and E.T.

There were snowdrops everywhere I looked.

Tea and a Finnish Gas Mask Bag

I found a spot in the sun, tucked behind some bushes and out of sight of the many dog walkers who were out.

I had packed my gear in a bag I bought on my recent visit to Morecambe. There was an excellent stall in the indoor market selling Army surplus at exceptional prices. As well as this bag I bought some military gloves and a Norwegian wool shirt. He is not on the internet or email and just sells in this market, so if you want a bargain you have to go there.

I think this shoulder bag was originally designed as a gas mask bag, for the Finnish Army and is new, having never been issued. It is a useful size, with a third/two thirds divider in the main bag and a selection of smaller pockets inside with snap down flaps. The main bag lid is shaped and also snaps shut securely.

There is plenty of room for my backpacking cook set, water, food, sit mat and first aid kit and pockets for smaller bits of gear.

I have sewn some paracord loops on the bag so I can attach extra gear or a wet waterproof using elastic cord. I also want to add some stronger loops on the bottom of the bag, again to allow me to carry extra gear. (See here for the loops in action.)

The Finnish gas mask bag came with a waist strap, which I have carefully cut off. I did not think I would use it and just looping the belt up made the back of the bag uncomfortable to wear.

This will make a great bag for day walks – I have used my old British World War II gas mask case (which I bough when I was 11!) on some short trips, but age has started to catch up with it.

Update – March 2015 – click here

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Walking in Craigellachie National Nature Reserve

19 January 2015 / Outdoor Gear, Photography, Travel, Walking / Aviemore, Craigellachie National Nature Reserve, iPhone photography, MSR titanium mug, Scandinavian Village, Scotland, snow, tea, walking

Craigellachie National Nature Reserve

The weather this morning was bright and clear – excellent for walking in the snow, as long as you take gloves, hat, warm jacket, decent boots, thick socks, etc, etc.

The snow in most places was a couple of inches deep although from time to time it was much deeper.

My boot sunk in more than a foot of snow

Craigellachie National Nature Reserve is a short walk from Scandinavian Village and is very close to Aviemore – it is a great place to explore and take photos.

The lake was frozen and had this mysterious “Superman” logo on the ice.

I cleared the snow from the end of a bench and had a brew up, using my MSR Titanium mug and Alpkit Kraku stove, a great lightweight and efficient combination in the cold weather. Hot tea and cake, sitting in the winter sun shine.

I forgot to pack my sit mat so I had to sit on my gloves and hat as the icy bench was far to cold to sit on without insulation.

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Snow, rain, wind and hail

16 January 2015 / Photography, Travel / food, iPhone photography, IT Support for Lincolnshire, Lake District, Morecambe, Morecambe Bay, Octagon Technology, tea

That is how the morning started so Alex and I decided that the only cure for such a day was a full English breakfast. So it was off to The View Cafe Morecambe to see what their’s was like.

The View Cafe and Vintage Music, Morecambe

I had a chance today to take some photos of the memorabilia.

This is not the type of spam I am used to dealing with!

… and here is the breakfast.

This cafe is great, they have the usual range of items on their menu you would expect from a sea side cafe – and spam (although we did not try it). The breakfast we had was well cooked and serve hot to our table and there was extra tea and toast included. I would recommend a visit.

The weather did change and we could eventually see across the bay to the Lake District.

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Walking on Morecambe beach

15 January 2015 / Photography, Travel, Walking / iPhone photography, Morecambe, Morecambe Bay, tea, walking

With more extremely high winds and storms forecast for the afternoon I took advantage of a sunny, bright and only breezy morning to walk along the beach at Morecambe.

The tide was a long way out.

click on the above image for a larger version

I stopped for tea and a bacon roll at The View Cafe and Vintage Music, on the seafront, it does have a great view across Morecambe Bay. The place mats were a bit unusual.

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Morecambe and Morecambe Bay

13 January 2015 / Photography, Travel / iPhone photography, Morecambe, Morecambe Bay, sunset, tea

We drove into Morecambe this afternoon, for tea, tea cakes, some photos and hopefully some sunset shots.

Bad weather over the Lake District seen across Morecambe Bay

click on the above image for a larger version

We got everything and the sunset.

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Walk to Warton Crag

13 January 2015 / Photography, Travel, Walking / iPhone camera apps, iPhone photography, Morecambe Bay, tea, walking, Warton Crag

The view from Warton Crag across Morecambe Bay towards the Lake District.

click on the above image for a larger version

This morning Alex and I walked from Pine Lake out to Warton Crag. Once we were on the top the wind off the sea was so strong that it was difficult to hold the cameras steady, so rather than continuing onto the coast we came back!

Edited with BlogPad Pro

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Photos from Thirlmere

11 January 2015 / Photography, Travel / iPhone photography, Keswick, Lake District, tea

The day started overcast, but Alex and I headed out anyway to see what photos could be found. We headed towards Keswick and stopped off by Thirlmere and got some pictures in between the showers. However the showers got heavier and the wind stronger so we headed home…

… after a stop off at Bryson’s Tea Room in Keswick for tea and plum bread toast.

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